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By Nejoud Al-Yagout 29/03/2017

TIME OUT WITH TAYMOUR KHAJAH

Nejoud meets Taymour Khajah

Interview

Taymour Khajah is definitely not an individual on auto-pilot. He is an awakened soul who is doing his best to raise the frequency of his birthplace, Kuwait. In his own words, he is “now motivated more than ever to grab hold of the wheel and change the country for good.” He adds that Kuwait “is ours. We are the youth. We HAVE control…” And Taymour is “more excited than ever to be part of the growth and positive change.” In short, his mission is to bring the heart back into art through music, through culture, through love.

It seems as though your guitar is an appendage. How close are the two of you?

Well, my guitar has transcended itself to become an extension of my limbs. I have been lost in the universe of the six-string instrument for more than nine years now; and I am still discovering sounds, techniques and combinations to an endless degree. It makes me wonder about the infinite dimensions that each and every instrument on this planet carries. I guess I should change my Facebook relationship status to: Serious… with my guitar.

Taymour, you participated in two vigils. At the second one, Co-exist Vigil, words were barely exchanged. It was all about music. How does your music reflect co-existence?

It’s only this year that I realize English, Arabic, and Persian are not among my most fluent languages, but music is. I find myself most comfortable using the vocabulary of pitches – which, in turn, reflects the way I am best at communicating and co-existing.

With languages I connect at a micro scale, but with the sounds and combinations of notes that I am able to play, I believe they are a stronger way of grasping others where it really affects.

If your guitar could speak, what would it tell us?

Play me better than yesterday.

You seem busy all the time, performing all over town. Obviously this is because you are in high demand. Do you ever want to take a break or is music such an intrinsic part of you that it won’t let you be?

I believe I currently feel like I need nothing else than to fill all my slots with everything music-related. My days are filled with meeting other musicians, learning from one another, writing, presenting (performing), recording at home and practicing. When I am not doing any of those things, I feel a bit restless and uncomfortable watching time pass by. I guess it’s the potential of what you dedicate your time to that keeps one so enticed.

And, lastly, do you ever wake up in the middle of the night with a tune ringing in your head, disturbing your sleep until you just have to write it down or strum your guitar? Or do you find songs in stillness? Or both, for that matter?

A bit of both. I usually tend to enjoy my sleep as the dreamland is a wonderful place in which to dwell. But I have definitely had moments where I have a new tune in my head, and I just had to get out of bed to save it or work on it. The best material comes out at the most unexpected times. It has magical – yet ironic – feel to it.